People who fish sometimes have a need to use their hands while fishing for purposes other than fishing. For example, a person fishing might need to make a phone call, take a break, steer his or her boat or eat. When this happens there is no place for the person fishing to place his or her fishing rod. As a result, the person fishing will either stop fishing altogether, or place the fishing rod on the ground and hope the fish take the bait and hook themselves. The person fishing might also place the fishing rod on the deck of the boat if he or she is fishing on a boat. However, the potential exists for a large fish taking the bait and pulling the rod overboard. Other fishermen have wedged the handle end of the pole between rocks.
There are also fishing rod holders in use that are shaped like a forked stick and made from wood, metals, aluminum or plastic. These devices are forced into the ground. A problem with these devices is that sometimes the ground is too hard to force it into the ground. In addition, these devices are susceptible to mud, dust and sand getting into the fishing equipment if they fall over when a minimal amount of force is applied to them. In addition, these devices are inadvertently forgotten and left behind when the person fishing goes home.
None of these are satisfactory solutions to the problem of freeing up the hands of a person who is fishing. Thus, it would be desirable to have an apparatus that allows a person to fish in a hands-free manner while at the same time ensuring that the fishing rod is stabilized and secured in a way that is very reliable.